Typical Zombies

Base Cost: 14.5 points

Strength6x

Agility1x

Intellect1x

Willpower1x

Hand Size:Edge:

2 (10)0

Origin:

The typical zombie is a formerly inanimate dead body, one that has risen from the grave due to mishaps of nature, science or magic. Regardless of the impetus of their reanimation, all zombies have the same basic abilities, and can quickly grow to become a serious menace.

Powers:

Agelessness (s): being physically dead, zombies lack a metabolism to speak of. As such, they do not age whatsoever. If carefully maintained, a zombie can last indefinitely for labor or other uses; they do not age, even if they can be destroyed by conventional means.

Body Armor (s): zombies are surprisingly tough, despite often looking like they're being held together by the tiniest of threads. They enjoy intensity 8 (+2) protection against all physical attacks that do not strike them in the head; other damage forms affect them normally.

Environmental Independence (s): no longer amongst the living, zombies do not need to eat, drink, breathe or sleep. While they may find themselves immobile for vast stretches of time, zombies are never 'unconscious', and always alert and aware (after a fashion; intensity 30).

Resistance to Cold and Pressure Variance (s): as a walking corpse, a zombie need not worry about the rigors of extreme cold or pressure on their bodies. Possessing this power at intensity 16 (+4), a zombie can maneuver in the depths of the sea or in interstellar space equally well.

+4 +6.5 +4

Hindrances / Augmentations:

Curse of the Zombie: all zombies may transform living humans into more of their kind upon biting them. Upon being bitten, one must pass a challenging difficulty Strength action or be afflicted by the mechanism that causes zombification, all of which progress in a like manner.

Once afflicted, the victim must pass an average difficulty Strength action each hour or lose a card of health. Some time after the victim dies, their body will rise again as a zombie, assuming the powers and statistics listed above (exceptional abilities may alter this some).

Inert Metabolism: the problem with zombies, as far as a long term existence is concerned, is that they have no metabolism. Since their body is 'just there', with most of it slowly decomposing, zombies lack the abilities that come with a metabolism - like healing.

In other words, once a zombie takes damage, it will not recover from it. Ever. Bits that are chopped off become inanimate again, and will not grow back on their own. However, as long as none of the damage taken is to the brain, a zombie can persist indefinitely, even at zero Health!

Monstrous: zombies are icky! Depending on how 'fresh' they are, some zombies won't actually have this hindrance, at least on sight; of course, once a zombie attacks, it will immediately come into play for the duration of the encounter.

Of course, once a zombie shows obvious signs of being undead (like missing body parts, otherwise lethal wounds that won't heal, etc), the zombie is at Willpower 0 to prevent Edge 0 humans and other like entities from fleeing them on sight - not that they normally try...

Equipment:

Usually none. Most zombies cannot operate equipment, much less hold it. However, useful items can be strapped (or nailed) onto a zombie, or even taped into its hands. Using such 'modifications' is another matter however, as the zombie must figure out how (average difficulty Intellect action).

Skills:

Usually none. Zombies of truly exceptional people may exhibit some trace of a skill they had in their original life, however. Typically those talents that come through are physical in nature, but not always; of course, not too many people would employ a functionally skilled zombie regardless...

Contacts:

Usually none. The vast majority of zombies are shambling menaces devoid of reason or logic. Sometimes they'll have a passing memory of their past life, which may draw them to locations they once knew, but for the most part a zombie isn't intelligent enough to make friends.

Calling:

Soldier: zombies under the control of someone (such as a necromancer or the like) have this calling. They have no motive or agenda, and will do what they are asked without question. Free-range zombies with no master, on the other hand, should be considered Demolishers.

Characteristics:

Braaains! Zombies are not sentient, and will do whatever they were ordered to by their creators in a shambling, moaning, generally inept fashion. If uncontrolled, they will usually range far and wide in their attempt to consume the flesh of living human beings.

Appearance:

Zombies are deceased humans. How they look often depends on their state of decay or if they have been damaged; they may range from freshly dead to virtually skeletal, and are often missing bits. If they wear clothes, it'll be worn or tattered, and may in fact be quite dated.

Ecological Niche:

Zombies occur as accidents of nature or by specific intent. The former is often a disaster for any humanoid ecology, while the latter can serve to be a source of cheap (if of arguable effectiveness) labor. Either way, zombies and civilization clearly do not mix well.

Variant Zombies

For the most part, the creatures described above will be those which you will encounter on adventures or investigations into the bizarre. However, as many and varied as the sources of zombification can be, sometimes zombies will appear with different capabilities entirely.

One type of zombie variant is that which can move much, much faster than the shambling norm. These zombies should have an Agility score of 3 instead of 1. This accounts for their ability to maneuver at higher speeds (and they can sprint like a marathon runner).

Another is that which seems to harbor a much higher intellect than its normal fellows. These have an Intellect score of 3 instead of 1. While still sluggish from being dead, these zombies can think quite effectively - and worse, they can plan.

A rare form of zombie actually combines these two traits to present a truly terrifying foe - particularly in large numbers. These can often overrun an entire society in no time, causing a complete collapse of such frighteningly fast... and thus must be eliminated quickly.

'Fast' or 'smart' zombies cost two points more, while 'fast and smart' zombies cost four points more - assuming someone wants to build a zombie character to play.